Whole Roasted Chicken Dinner
A few days later and I’m still dreaming about this meal and how good my kitchen smelled. Holy moly it was so good! Some of the reasons why I loved it so much:
1.) A whole meal in one pot. Helloooooo! I’m sure one day I’ll go back to making entreés with sides and all that jazz… But considering I have a 4 year old, 2 year old and 7 week old, I’m just gonna live that one-pot-meal life and call it good.
2.) It was really freaking good. So flavorful with really simple ingredients.
3.) I used local poultry from a small farm up in Ferndale. Oak Meadows Farm gifted me this gorgeous bird along with a few of their other products to try, and I am so impressed with the quality and taste! The chicken was so tender and juicy, and I really love that their chickens are humanely raised. No hormones, no antibiotics, no steroids, and lots of sunshine! I encourage you to check out their farm (their freezer is currently well stocked!) and see all that they have to offer.
Alrighty. Let’s get into the in and outs of roasting a whole chicken. If you’ve never handled a whole bird before, don’t be nervous. It’s far less intimidating than you think it’ll be. And just a reminder that plain chicken and potatoes need a lot of seasoning. It's going to feel like overkill on the salt but I promise you it won’t be. All that salt and butter will result in a crazy juicy and delicious chicken (and the potatoes and onions at the bottom- haaaave mercy. They’re so dang good).
A note about my chicken: I decided to roast it upside down to see if it would result in juicer breasts. While it was super super delicious, I’d recommend cooking breast side up like normal.
WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN DINNER
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 whole chicken, roughly 4-5 pounds
- 6 T butter
- salt and pepper (lots and lots!)
- 6-8 garlic cloves, roughly minced
- 1/4 t paprika
- 1/2 t dried rosemary
- 1/2 t dried thyme
- 1 whole lemon, cut into quarters
- 2 white onions, roughly chopped
- 6 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, thickly sliced
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Preheat oven to 450 F.
2.) Get your chicken ready. I recommend letting the chicken sit out of the fridge for 30 minutes before starting this process.
Truss the legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine.
3.) Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
Generously (like- generously, people) salt and pepper the inside of the cavity. I’d recommend at least a tablespoon of salt, and at least half a tablespoon of pepper.
4.) Chop onion into quarters and place on base of dutch oven. Tuck onion scraps into chicken cavity.
5.) Cut potatoes and place on top of onions.
6.) Cut lemon into quarters. Squeeze one lemon piece over potatoes and onions. Place rind and the remaining three lemon pieces into chicken cavity, along with half of the minced garlic.
7.) Microwave 6 T of butter in a glass bowl for 20-30 seconds until nice and soft. Add in remainder of minced garlic, 1/4 t paprika, 1/2 t thyme, 1/2 t rosemary, and additional salt and pepper (1/2 T salt, 1/2 T pepper). Generously rub butter mixture all over the outside of the chicken, and underneath the chicken skin. Be careful not to rip the chicken skin.
8.) Place dutch oven in the oven without the lid. This will allow the skin to get deliciously crisp! Roast at 450 for 18 minutes.
9.) Lower temperature to 350, and cook (still with no lid) for 20 minutes per pound of chicken or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
10.) Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Mix the potatoes and onions in the schmaltzy liquid, and serve alongside chicken.
11.) Invite me over for dinner. ;) Cheers friends! Enjoy and be proud of your efforts!
